Renault fills final gap in SUV line-up

Captur spawns more practical, hybrid-only Symbioz as £30k Nissan Qashqai rival

- JAMES ATTWOOD

The new Renault Symbioz completes the expansion of the brand's line-up in the crucial mid-sized SUV segment and is designed to evoke the spirit of the 1960s 16 saloon and the 1980s Espace by focusing on practicality.

The new hybrid will sit between the smaller Captur alongside which it was developed - and larger Austral in the French firm's combustion-engined car line-up, making it a direct rival to the Nissan Qashqai.

It is purposefully practical in design terms, in contrast to Renault's electric cars.

Paula Fabregat, Renault's small-car design chief, called the Symbioz "more rational and less emotional" than the EVs, adding: "The 5 [supermini] is an amazing object; this is an amazing answer."

That emphasis on practicality reflects the Symbioz's family car positioning, but Renault will I also target fleet buyers, which it anticipates could account for 40% of UK sales.